Awardless: Our pick of movies that deserve an Oscar

T minus three days until the 90th Academy Awards ceremony. Are you stoked? Have you booked the Monday off work just so you can recover from the excitement that you’re undoubtedly going to experience!? . . . No? . . .

Us neither, to be honest. However, we here at Film Daily do have a few opinions about the movies up for Best Picture and which ones should’ve been up for nomination. To remind you, the flicks in the running at the 2018 Oscars include: The Post, Lady Bird, Darkest Hour, Call Me by Your Name, The Shape Of Water, Get Out, Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

While there are some strong contenders on the list, the staff members of FD reckon there are some far more deserving features from the past year. As such, we’ve taken a break from the newsroom to talk about the films we think deserve one of those shiny golden statuettes.

The Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker

This deeply moving and unforgettable drama follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief & adventure with her friends and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all the while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.

Daisy: “I think this film was majorly overlooked – it’s beautifully shot, beautifully acted, and it features an important story. I’ve got a lot of respect for Sean Baker, too.”

Emily: “I’d have to say The Florida Project, literally because the award ‘Best Picture’ insinuates something which is visually the best and The Florida Project was stunning on all grounds.”

mother!

Director: Darren Aronofsky

This riveting psychological thriller looks at a couple’s relationship that’s tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their otherwise peaceful existence.

Amy: “Even though I’m not Darren Aronofsky’s biggest fan, the movie was an intoxicating nightmare which had me enraptured from start to finish. It was horrifying and ambitious and yes, its central allegory was laid on too thick, but it was still a ghoulish treat.”

The Disaster Artist

Director: James Franco

Franco tells the tragicomic true story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau – the enigmatic man behind the disastrously classic cult movie The Room.

Daniel: “It’s a controversial pick, that’s for damn sure, considering the sexual harassment allegations. However, the voting was done quite a while before this came to light. And Franco’s performance as Wiseau was spot on.”

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Wright’s action comedy follows a young getaway driver who – after being coerced into working for a crime boss – must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love, and freedom.

John: “Amazing film with a stellar cast. Although it had deservedly earned nominations for sound and editing, it may have been overlooked for Best Picture due to the Kevin Spacey scandal. To the people boycotting the film for that reason alone, I say you can’t let one bad apple ruin the whole pie.”

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

The story follows Steven – a charismatic surgeon whose life starts to crumble around him when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

Lola: “There aren’t enough words to describe the cinematic genius of Yorgos Lanthimos. Stiff, weird, tense, and absurd, this film will take you off the edge of your seat and into a black hole of awkward (yet wondrous) confusion.”